1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for laterally guiding a rolled or cast product in the form of a metal strip, a slab, or the like on a transport track, and to a corresponding method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lateral guide tracks for rolled or cast products in the form of a metal strip, a slab or the like are known from the prior art, in which the metal strip or the slab is guided laterally on a transport track or rolling track and can be aligned relative to a width of the transport track. Lateral guide tracks of this type can have roller guides or parallel guides with mutually opposing guide rules; however, this design can be associated with disadvantages.
WO 2010/149192 A1 discloses a method and a device for processing a slab, wherein the associated lateral guide track consists of a plurality of pairs of guide rollers arranged opposite one another. The individual rollers can be moved in the direction of the slab by means of actuators. This allows the slab to be centered at different locations along the transport track or rolling track. The respective pairs of guide rollers are spaced relatively widely from one another and are particularly arranged on different sides of processing devices.
Pairs of guide rollers, which are known, for example, from WO 2010/149192 A1 and also from JP 61222626 A, have the disadvantage that a defined torque cannot be exerted on the slab if only one pair of guide rollers is in contact with the slab or with the slab head. As a result, the slab can be displaced between the pair of guide rollers in the direction of a width of the rolling track, but cannot be rotated in a defined manner.
Torque can be applied to the slab only when a subsequent pair of guide rollers comes into contact with the slab downstream. If the pairs of guide rollers are spaced relatively widely from one another, the slab disadvantageously still cannot be rotated on the rolling track in a targeted manner as it is being transported between these two pairs of guide rollers. In other words, torque can be applied to the slab only in a delayed fashion, specifically once the slab head has come into contact with an additional pair of guide rollers. A further disadvantage of such a series connection of pairs of guide rollers is that the slab head can move laterally between the pairs of guide rollers, since the slab is not guided laterally in this region.
As an alternative to a roller guide, it is also known to align a slab on a rolling track using a guide rule, as is disclosed, e.g., in DE 43 10 547 C2, in DE 41 29 988 C2 or WO 2011/080174 A2. Guiding the slab laterally between such guide rules, which are moved up to the lateral edges of the slab, is disadvantageous because the forces between the guide rules and the slab may potentially cause a high level of friction, which can lead to a discontinuous transport or to the slab becoming “stuck”. If the slab is driven solely by rolling track rollers and is not subjected to any additional tensile forces, e.g. from a drive or a roller stand, only small levels of friction relative to the slab are permissible during the “lateral guidance” process, to prevent the slab from becoming stuck.
A further disadvantage of conventional guide rules is that they are generally very long in design, which has a negative effect on the lengths of the systems. In this context it is likewise disadvantageous that the guide rules as disclosed, e.g. in DE 43 10 547 C2 form an infeed chute, however said chute cannot be used as a guiding length after the slab head has passed the guiding chute and the infeed chute is no longer necessary.
The object of the present invention is to optimize a device and a method for laterally guiding a rolled or cast product on a transport track such that the rolled or cast product can be centered on the transport track and selectively aligned quickly and over a short section of the transport track by the application of torque, in order to prevent the rolled or cast product from colliding with components downstream of it in the transport direction and/or to ensure the centered transport of the product on the transport track.